Name: jinny's review of We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida
Item: We’ll Prescribe You a Cat
Author: jinny

Syou Ishida

A cat a day keeps the doctor away…

Discover the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation in this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats.

Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.

Throughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat 

Aina

You know the old saying, "A cat a day keeps the doctor away." Cats are more effective than any other medicine out there.

A cat a day keeps the doctor away…

Discover the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation in this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats.

Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.

Throughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.

We'll Prescribe You a Cat

Andy

"I just happened to be in that kind of mood on that day, and I didn't disappear to make things difficult for you. I made the decision and left on my own volition, so I hope you won't keep moping about it forever."

Emma Hak-Kovacs

“The amount of time you spent together probably matters, but less time doesn’t mean less love. Whether it's a day or year, human or cat, and even if we may never see them again, there are those who are irreplaceable in our lives.”

Jennifer

i originally bought the book because i thought the title was silly, and it felt fitting—my mom actually got me a cat back in December 2024. i only reunited with her recently, when my family brought her over during my graduation week. she’s been with me ever since.

i only started reading the book after the chaos that is college, and it felt really comforting. each character had something in common; they all felt lost in their lives, in some shape or form—something i definitely relate to since i genuinely don’t know what i’m gonna do with my life not that i’m out of school.

there are five characters in total: a disheartened businessman who finds unexpected joy in physical labor; a middle-aged man struggling to stay relevant both at work and at home; a young girl navigating the complexities of elementary school cliques; a hardened handbag designer seeking emotional balance; and a geisha learning to move on from the memory of her lost cat.

the story is set in kyoto, where a mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: prescribing cats as medication (honestly, that sounds heavenly). each character in the story was skeptical, as most of them were expecting something different from the clinic—only to be given a cat to take care of over a few days.

slowly, they begin to realize that the cats they’re fostering help them process their emotions and shift their perspective on life. and despite the characters experiencing different scenarios, i saw myself in their stories, which led to a few quiet crying sessions in cafes and my own bedroom…

pet companions really do help heal the soul, and i’m glad i have both a cat and a dog. this was a book that found me when i needed it the most.

jinny

i originally bought the book because i thought the title was silly, and it felt fitting—my mom actually got me a cat back in December 2024. i only reunited with her recently, when my family brought her over during my graduation week. she’s been with me ever since.

i only started reading the book after the chaos that is college, and it felt really comforting. each character had something in common; they all felt lost in their lives, in some shape or form—something i definitely relate to since i genuinely don’t know what i’m gonna do with my life not that i’m out of school.

there are five characters in total: a disheartened businessman who finds unexpected joy in physical labor; a middle-aged man struggling to stay relevant both at work and at home; a young girl navigating the complexities of elementary school cliques; a hardened handbag designer seeking emotional balance; and a geisha learning to move on from the memory of her lost cat.

the story is set in kyoto, where a mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: prescribing cats as medication (honestly, that sounds heavenly). each character in the story was skeptical, as most of them were expecting something different from the clinic—only to be given a cat to take care of over a few days.

slowly, they begin to realize that the cats they’re fostering help them process their emotions and shift their perspective on life. and despite the characters experiencing different scenarios, i saw myself in their stories, which led to a few quiet crying sessions in cafes and my own bedroom…

pet companions really do help heal the soul, and i’m glad i have both a cat and a dog. this was a book that found me when i needed it the most.

ophelia ross 

the idea of healing through companionship, especially from something as soft and warm as a cat, feels both whimsical and comforting for me. but i found most of the stories here to be quite repetitive. the emotional rhythm felt too similar from one piece to the next, and by the middle, i was struggling to stay interested. it wasn’t easy to push through, even though i genuinely wanted to enjoy it more.

still, i liked it, though i wish the execution had offered a bit more variation and depth.

the idea of healing through companionship, especially from something as soft and warm as a cat, feels both whimsical and comforting for me. but i found most of the stories here to be quite repetitive. the emotional rhythm felt too similar from one piece to the next, and by the middle, i was struggling to stay interested. it wasn’t easy to push through, even though i genuinely wanted to enjoy it more.

still, i liked it, though i wish the execution had offered a bit more variation and depth.

This book is about a clinic of sorts that prescribes cats as medicine for your issues. 

While I think the premise is fun and whimsical, I often felt myself feeling a little…dissatisfied with the resolutions of the issues. However, I don’t think that this book is at fault. I believe I find issues with the majority of the characters/patients to have semi-unlikable personalities, which is probably why they have problems. If you’re less skeptical of how much a cat can do for a person, then you probably wouldn’t find that to be an issue. 

The reason I didn’t rate this higher though is because most of the stories kinda bleed together in the middle for me. The first, second to last, and last stories were the most memorable for me and that’s probably (again) related to the likability of the characters for me. 

I listened to this as an audiobook and thought the different voices and the accents did a lot for the storytelling of this translated work. Generally, a great time. Cute tidbits about cats reflecting their owners or environments while still having their personalities. I don’t think I’ve been converted to a cat person though. 

This book is about a clinic of sorts that prescribes cats as medicine for your issues. 

While I think the premise is fun and whimsical, I often felt myself feeling a little…dissatisfied with the resolutions of the issues. However, I don’t think that this book is at fault. I believe I find issues with the majority of the characters/patients to have semi-unlikable personalities, which is probably why they have problems. If you’re less skeptical of how much a cat can do for a person, then you probably wouldn’t find that to be an issue. 

The reason I didn’t rate this higher though is because most of the stories kinda bleed together in the middle for me. The first, second to last, and last stories were the most memorable for me and that’s probably (again) related to the likability of the characters for me. 

I listened to this as an audiobook and thought the different voices and the accents did a lot for the storytelling of this translated work. Generally, a great time. Cute tidbits about cats reflecting their owners or environments while still having their personalities. I don’t think I’ve been converted to a cat person though. 

whimisical and silly and a very light, easy but enjoyable and captivating read! excited for the sequel 

esther

I can’t stop reading this book! This is what they call animal-assisted therapy。

Like most Japanese novels I've read, We'll Prescribe You a Cat was heartwarming and simple, introducing us to a range of characters and the beauty of being human (and flawed). While I really enjoyed reading this book and the translation felt seamless, I struggled to get into it and found myself putting it down for long periods of time, only picking it back up for a few chapters here and there between other books. 

Nevertheless, the characters and their stories are charming, so if you're looking for a simple story that won't ask anything of you, this is it.

Like most Japanese novels I've read, We'll Prescribe You a Cat was heartwarming and simple, introducing us to a range of characters and the beauty of being human (and flawed). While I really enjoyed reading this book and the translation felt seamless, I struggled to get into it and found myself putting it down for long periods of time, only picking it back up for a few chapters here and there between other books. 

Nevertheless, the characters and their stories are charming, so if you're looking for a simple story that won't ask anything of you, this is it.

Jennifer &
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

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Jennifer &We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

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Jennifer &
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida